We sat down with Executive Chef Bill Heckler of STIR and Massey’s Kitchen in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Located in the historical Chattanooga Choo Choo, STIR has a raw bar, so guests can enjoy a variety of fresh seafood as well as chicken and premium steak entrées.

best restaurant in chattanooga tn — Corporate Executive Chef Bill Heckler of STIR and Massey’s Kitchen in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Massey’s Kitchen is Mediterranean-inspired. Featuring house-made bread and artisanal flatbreads, alfresco dining is the place to be with your family or friends after visiting the sites on Lookout Mountain.

1. Tell us about what your morning routine looks like, and how you like to end your day?

I wake up between 5-6 am. Go for a walk for an hour. Get ready and have coffee for breakfast. Check email and plan the day. Leave for work by 7:45 am.

At the end of the day, I typically get home from work and work on one of my hobbies for an hour (rebuilding a car, sewing, welding, or painting). Finish with a beverage (favorite below).

2. Do you have any awards or achievements you’d like to mention?

My favorite award is from 7th grade. My best friend entered a cooking competition and asked me to join. I made a Mississippi mud pie from a box but decorated it with hand-whipped cream and thin slices of Easter candy chocolate eggs, which I peeled and sprinkled all over the pie. My friend got first place because his mom and aunt took over the kitchen. I got second place. It was my first award, and I never forgot how it made me feel.

3. Do you have a favorite chef that you look up to and what advice would you give to aspiring chefs?

My favorite chef is Eric Ripert. I think his clean approach to seafood is masterful. For aspiring chefs, my advice is simple: never forget that we work in the hospitality industry. Hospitality, at its core, is about putting your guests’ priorities and preferences above your own.

4. What do you typically cook at home for yourself or your family?

I cook something different at home every week. My wife and I both work a lot, so I make bulk food on my days off for the whole week. This week, I had a whole turkey and made sous vide turkey breast for sandwiches, turkey stock which turned into keto pot pie filling with bitter greens salad for dinner, and cheesy egg breakfast burritos for breakfast.

5. What’s a food trend that you’re loving right now and why?

Food trends currently are about getting back to the classics: cooking handmade pasta, handmade dumplings, and handmade sourdough bread. I have been doing this for 30 years and am excited to see old-school techniques being brought back into the culinary foreground once again.

6. What’s the strangest food combination you’ve ever tried? And, did you like it?

I had snake blood in Taiwan; I don’t recommend it. I do recommend lengua (tongue tacos). Also, I used to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with American cheese as a kid. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. My dad would eat peanut butter and Miracle Whip sandwiches. I used to love them, but now I can’t do it.

7. Have you ever cooked for a celebrity? Do you have a story to tell?

I am originally from Southern California and have cooked in Pasadena and Burbank, where celebrities would come in every week. My story is about the original Roseanne show. When it closed, I catered their closing party. They loved it, but I tried to order albino salmon. It is white like halibut, and I was going to do an aspic (decorative gelatin-based dish) beach scene on the fish. My seafood purveyor almost had a heart attack trying to source it. He came the day before the party with albino salmon but told me I was not allowed to ever order that again. The dish was a hit.

8. What’s your Instagram so that readers can follow you?

It’s @billheckler.

9. What cocktail or beverage do you enjoy most?

My drink of choice is a simple Jack Daniels and Diet Coke.

10. Why should readers visit STIR and Massey’s Kitchen?

STIR and Massey’s Kitchens both serve made-from-scratch dishes with unique recipes that guests will not find anywhere else in Chattanooga. STIR has an elevated cocktail bar with a large selection of allocated spirits and artisanal Ice, it also has oyster/raw bar, so guest can enjoy a variety of fresh seafood as well as other chicken and premium steak entrées. It is located in the historical Chattanooga Choo Choo in the downtown Chattanooga.

Massey’s Kitchen is Mediterranean-inspired. Featuring house-made bread and artisanal flatbreads, alfresco dining is the place to be with your family or friends after visiting the sites on Lookout Mountain.

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